Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Sendai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,176 a month against $1,379 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Sendai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Okinawa and in Sendai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,379 per month in Okinawa vs $1,176 in Sendai, rent included.

Okinawa $1,379
Sendai $1,176

A couple spends around $2,171 per month in Okinawa vs $1,851 in Sendai, rent included.

Okinawa $2,171
Sendai $1,851

A family of three spends $2,964 per month in Okinawa vs $2,527 in Sendai, rent included.

Okinawa $2,964
Sendai $2,527

Okinawa costs about 17% more than Sendai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Okinawa sits 2% above the global median, while Sendai is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.74 ¥1,542

$6.41 ¥1,014

51.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.63 ¥6,429

$34.38 ¥5,440

18.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 ¥1,087

$4.72 ¥747

45.55%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ¥619

$3.63 ¥575

7.71%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ¥222

$1.02 ¥162

37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.86 ¥136

8.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥413

$1.86 ¥294

40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 ¥953

$3.08 ¥487

95.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.41 ¥223

15.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 ¥332

$1.49 ¥236

40.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥616

$6.79 ¥1,075

-42.71%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥282

$2.10 ¥332

-15.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 ¥2,864

$10.84 ¥1,716

66.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ¥775

$11.60 ¥1,835

-57.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.24 ¥3,520

$8.85 ¥1,400

151.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 ¥600

$3.42 ¥541

10.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ¥410

$2.21 ¥350

17.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥339

$4.64 ¥734

-53.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥819

$3.15 ¥499

64.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 ¥394

$2.51 ¥397

-0.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥392

$2.27 ¥359

9.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥200

$1.40 ¥222

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$1.24 ¥196

-37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ¥637

$4.50 ¥712

-10.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,012

$6.79 ¥1,075

-5.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥297

$1.64 ¥259

14.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$2.76 ¥437

15.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.51 ¥239

-0.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$37.94 ¥6,003

71.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 ¥620

$5.35 ¥846

-26.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.47 ¥549

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,810

$18.36 ¥2,905

-37.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.11 ¥176

-5.41%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$16.0K ¥2.5M

32.74%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$25.5K ¥4.0M

-41.07%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$162 ¥25.7K

$140 ¥22.2K

15.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.31 ¥4,006

$30.45 ¥4,819

-16.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ¥8,485

$35.00 ¥5,539

53.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.8 ¥11.4K

$45.12 ¥7,140

59.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.8 ¥8,993

$12.64 ¥2,001

349.60%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ¥1,906

$10.11 ¥1,599

19.09%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$330 ¥52.1K

$225 ¥35.6K

46.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,654 ¥894.7K

$3,760 ¥595.0K

50.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.74 ¥7,712

$57.2 ¥9,045

-14.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.34 ¥3,694

$33.55 ¥5,309

-30.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 ¥12.9K

$35.61 ¥5,636

128.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 ¥15.5K

$53.4 ¥8,448

83.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥64.4K

$581 ¥91.9K

-29.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$336 ¥53.2K

-2.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥130.6K

$683 ¥108.1K

20.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ¥105.5K

$728 ¥115.2K

-8.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,711 ¥1.4M

$2,713 ¥429.2K

221.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 ¥193.1K

$1,403 ¥221.9K

-12.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥287.0K

$975 ¥154.3K

86.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.73

-18.32%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Okinawa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sendai: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.9%

Sendai

$306 26% 7.2% $24

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$327 23.7%

Sendai

$336 28.6% 3% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.5%

Sendai

$206 17.5% 14.8% $36

Eating Out

Okinawa

$180 13.1%

Sendai

$132 11.2% 26.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$113 8.2%

Sendai

$81 6.9% 28.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 7%

Sendai

$65 5.6% 31.9% $31

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Sendai

$49 * 4.2% 46.6% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Okinawa versus $581 in Sendai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 86% higher in Okinawa. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Okinawa versus $34 in Sendai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $306 – making Sendai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Sendai

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

1,082,159

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Okinawa Sendai 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Okinawa
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Okinawa vs Sendai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,068 per month in Okinawa and $1,763 in Sendai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okinawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $407 there versus $581 in Sendai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Okinawa and $34 in Sendai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,379 in Okinawa and $1,176 in Sendai. That makes Sendai about 15% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,379 in Okinawa and $1,176 in Sendai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Sendai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Okinawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.